# How do you keep fresh corn FRESH **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2002, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-fresh-corn-fresh/124397 "2002-08-17T21:48:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dandmb50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@Dandmb50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandmb50)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-fresh-corn-fresh/124397/1 "2002-08-17T21:48:56Z")
I always wondered when you get fresh corn and if you leave it in the plastic bag it goes kind of bad. Whats the best way to keep corn fresh for the longest. I love waiting for the fresh Ontario corn and it is now just coming to market so whats your best idea for keeping it fresh? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-fresh-corn-fresh/124397/2 "2002-08-17T21:54:14Z")
The way I use is to have boiling water ready. At 5:55pm pick corn & put in water & at 6:00pm eat it. ---
**Author:** ![Dandmb50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@Dandmb50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandmb50)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-fresh-corn-fresh/124397/3 "2002-08-17T21:59:39Z")
Thank you but I was looking more along the lines of keeping the corn fresh for a few days so it doesn’t go bad. Since I usually buy a dozen along the country roadside I can’t eat it all at once. I have found that 10 min cooking is my favourite and heard that you should never add salt while it is cooking too. I need to know the best way to keep it fresh either on the counter or in the fridge. Many thanks… ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-fresh-corn-fresh/124397/4 "2002-08-17T22:08:45Z")
When you get the corn home, wipe off the outsides with a clean dish towel or something (to dry them off somewhat)–leave the husks on until just before you’re ready to cook them–and then store the ears wrapped up in a plastic bag, in the produce drawer of the refrigerator. Both the plastic bag and the produce drawer cut down on evaporation (drying out). Leave the stubs of the stalks on the ears, as the picked ears of corn are still going through biological “shutdown” processes that are making the kernels draw moisture from the remains of the plant, and the longer you can keep the picked ear of corn in “shutdown” mode, rather than having it kick into “dead” mode, the longer your ears of corn will stay fresh. ---
**Author:** ![Ankh\_Too](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Ankh\_Too](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ankh_Too)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-fresh-corn-fresh/124397/5 "2002-08-17T22:35:09Z")
Believe it or not, they’ve done research on this… > [@](#): > > _from [Old Farmer’s Almanac](http://www.almanac.com/garden/garden.uncommon.html) (scroll down about 2/3s of the way)_ > \*\*Soak it in bleach. Well, not just bleach. University of Maryland professor Don Schlimme suggests picking the ears early in the day, husking them, and chilling them in ice-cold water (32 to 40 F). For every gallon of water add a teaspoon of bleach and a teaspoon of white vinegar. Soak the ears for 30 minutes, drain, and immediately pack in resealable plastic bags, about four ears per bag, and refrigerate. The corn will remain fresh for two to three weeks, depending on how cold your refrigerator runs. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-fresh-corn-fresh/124397/6 "2002-08-17T23:00:04Z")
> [@](#): > > The corn will remain fresh for two to three weeks, depending on how cold your refrigerator runs. It might remain “fresh” but how will it “taste?” Like fresh-picked corn? Close?